Su-25 aircraft of the armed forces of the Union State of Russia and Belarus during an exercise at the Brest training groundLONDON, 5 Feb.Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics and Estonian Foreign Minister Eva-Maria Liimets spoke in favor of strengthening NATO's presence in the east of the alliance if the Russian forces do not leave the territory of Belarus after the end of the exercises taking place there. «If Russian troops remain in Belarus, regardless of «whether Ukraine is invaded or not, this will significantly change the situation in the region. And then we also need to reconsider our measures to address the security gap in the region,» Rinkevics told the Telegraph newspaper.
In China, the United States explained how the attempt to intimidate Russia would result. According to the politician, in this case, it will be necessary to strengthen NATO's presence in the region. Liimets called the exercises «a destabilizing factor.» «NATO should take into account the consequences and also propose solutions by increasing the defense potential in our region,» the minister told the newspaper. Rinkevics also expressed the opinion that Germany should take a more active stance on the Ukrainian crisis. “Germany must and can lead. We need Germany and the new government to become more aware of the topic,” the minister said, noting that this also applies to the issue of possible sanctions. The forces of the Union State are being tested on the territory of Belarus. At the first stage (until February 9), groupings of troops on the territory of Belarus will be redeployed and created. At the second stage (February 10-20), the joint Belarusian-Russian exercises «Allied Resolve-2022» will be held, within the framework of which the issues of suppressing and repelling external aggression, as well as countering terrorism and protecting the interests of the Union State will be worked out.
The United States explained why Biden, and not Russia, is to blame for the crisis in Ukraine Russia at the borders of Ukraine. Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov said that Russia is moving troops within its territory and at its own discretion. According to him, this does not threaten anyone and should not worry anyone. Russia has repeatedly rejected the accusations of the West and Ukraine of «aggressive actions», stating that it does not threaten anyone and is not going to attack anyone, and statements about «Russian aggression» are used as an excuse to deploy more NATO military equipment near Russian borders. The Russian Foreign Ministry noted earlier that Western statements about «Russian aggression» and the possibility of helping Kiev defend itself against it are both ridiculous and dangerous.
